Quick-set wrench



Sap!" 11, 3923!. mfimw F. NICHOLSON QUICK SET WRENCH Filed July 11 1922 INVENTOR fiam Mthalson Patented Sept. 11, 1923.

warren sra'riss I i terate PATENT @FFHQLE.

FRANK NICHOLSON, OF SEATTLE, "WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR OF SEVENTY PER CENT T JOHN H. LAG-REID AND TWENTY-FIVE PER CENT 0F SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

TO ANALDO H. RICHARDS, BOTH QUICK-SET WRENCH.

Application filed July 11, 1922. Serial No. 574,150.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK NICHOLSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Seattle, county of King, and State of Washington, have invented new and useful Improvements in Quick-Set Wrenches; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact specification, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it a pertains to make and use the same.

y invention relates to improvements in quick set wrenches which embody a more economical construction and also cause the holding means to tighten as a load is applied.

The object of the invention is to provide a wrench which may be readily adjusted to fit work of any size in which the holding members are of a simple and economical construction.

Another object of the invention is to provide a wrench which may be readily adjusted to fit work of any size in which the holding members will tighten as the work is applied.

And a still further object of the invention is to provide a wrench which may be readily adjusted to fit work of any size in which the teeth of the gripping member slide into the grooves which hold it instead of striking the ends of the grooves.

With these ends in view, the invention embodies a stock with a jaw on one end having a yoke projecting upward from it and a handle on the opposite end; another jaw with a shank projecting through the yoke of the stock and pivotally connected to a cap which is slidably mounted on the stock and which has a ratchet in it with teeth on its lower edge for engaging grooves in the upper edge of the stock; and springs for holding the ratchet and also for holding the second jaw downward.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the drawings wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation with a part broken away.

Figure 2 is a cross section on line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section showing the ratchet in the free position.

Figure 4 is a cross section on line 4.t of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the end of the cap showing the slot in which. the handle of the ratchet operates.

the drawings I have shown my wrench in the closed position wherein, the stock is indicated by the numeral 1 and on one end of the stock is a handle 2 and on the other end is a jaw 3 with a yoke 4L projecting upward from it. On the inner edge of the upper side of the yoke is a lug 5 to which the spring 6 is held by the rivet 7. This spring bears against the upper side of the shank 8 which holds the jaw 9. The jaw 9 has teeth 10 on its inner surface and the jaw 3 has similar teeth 11 on its outer surface, which teeth are arranged so that a round object may be gripped between them.

The inner end of the shank 8 is pivotally mounted on a pin 12 between the jaws 13 and 14 of the cap 15 and the pin 12 is held in place by a set screw 16 in the end of the shank 8. The cap 15 is constructed as shown with two yokes 17 and 18 projecting downward from its lower side and the yokes have rectangular openings 19 and 20 in them through which the stock 1 slides. The yokes are held together by tie plates 21 and 22 on each side of the stock and the space between the yokes extends upward into the cap forming a recess 23 into which the ratchet 2 1 is placed. The ratchet 24 is fixedly mounted on the shaft 25 by a pin 26 and the shaft 25 is rotatably mounted in holes 27 and 28 inthe cap and a spring 29 is also placed in the hole 28 to keep the ratchet 24: against the opposite end of the recess.

The ratchet is constructed as shown in Figures 3 and 4 with a hub 30 having hole 31 in it through which the shaft passes and on the lower side of the hub is a lug 32 which has teeth 33 on its lower edge that are in the shape of V threads and slant downward from the edge of the lug adjacent to the center of the hub. At one end of the lug 32 is a beveled surface 34 which works against the beveled surface at the end of the recess 23 in such a manner that as the jaws 3 and 9 grip an object the ratchet 24 through its teeth 33 working in the grooves 36 of the stock, which are of a similar shape, will be'torced backward against the beveled surface 35 so that the teeth will be jammed downward into the grooves. This will make it absolutely impossible for the Wrench to slip or loosen its grip while it is being used. On the .upper side of the ratchet hub 30 is a projection 37 which fits into the slot 38 in the top of the cap and by pushing it from the full line position shown in Figure 4 to the position shown in dotted lines the teeth 33 will be moved to the position shown in dotted lines so that they will not engage the grooves and in this position the cap may be moved along the stock to any desired position. In the slot 38 is a lug 39 and a recess 40 and as the projection 37 is moved from the position shown in full lines to that shown. in dotted lines it will move forward so that the beveled surfaces 3st and 35' will disengage and then it will pass over the lug 39 and into the recess 40 where it will be held by the spring 29 so that the teeth of the ratchet may remain out of engagement with the grooves without being held by hand.

It will be understood that changes may be made in the construction without departing from the spirit of the invention. One'of which changes may be in the shape of the teeth or grooves into which they work, another may be in the shape of the projection 37 and still another may be in the type of jaws used on the wrench as it is understood these improvements may apply to all kinds of wrenches.

The construction will readily be understood from the foregoing description. To assemble the device the shank 8 will be placed through. the yoke 4 after the spring 6 has been riveted in place so that its inner end will come between the jaws of the cap 15 and then the pin 12 will be placed through them and this will be held by inserting the set screw 16. The cap 15 would be first assembled by placing the spring 29 in the hole 28, then placing the ratchet 24: in the recess 23 and then pushing the shaft 25 through the hole 27 in the end of the cap, through the hole 31 in the hub 30 and into the hole 28. This would then be held in place by the screw 26 which will pass through the hub 30 and the shaft 25.

As the wrench is placed over an object the cap 15 will be pulled backward until the jaw 3 bears against one side of the object and the jaw 9 against the opposite side and then the projection 37 will be moved from the position shown in dotted lines to that shown in full lines in Figure 4 so that the teeth will engage the grooves which will hold the jaws rigidly against the work as hereinbefore described.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A wrench having a stock with the lower jaw on one end; the handle on the opposite end; teeth in its upper edge which slant from one side to the other; and a yoke with a spring in its upper end at one end and above the lower jaw; a cap with a rectangular opening in it to permit it to slide over the stock; a recess above this opening with a beveled surface at the rear, and ears projecting from it above the opening for the stock; an upper jaw with a shank projecting through the yoke, the inner end of which is pivoted between the ears of the cap; and a ratchet pivotally mounted in the recess in the cap, said ratchet having a projection which extends through the upper side of the cap by which teeth in its lower side may be thrown into and out of engagement with the teeth in the stock, a beveled surface at its rear end toe'ngage the beveled surface in the cap, and said ratchet being held on a pin by a set screw which pin is held rearwardly by a spring at its forward end, and said cap having a notch into which the spring may force the projection on the ratchet, to hold the teeth of the ratchet out of engagement with those of the stock.

2. In a wrench having its lower jaw on one end of the stock, a handle at the opposite end and sloping teeth on its upper surface, a yoke projecting upward from the jaw end of the stock, an upper jaw with a shank projecting through the yoke, a cap slidably mounted on the stock having ears on its forward end between which the inner end of the shank of the upper jaw is pivotally mounted, and a ratchet in the cap which has sloping teeth in its lower surface to engage teeth in the stock; the providing of a beveled surface in the cap against which the upper surface of the ratchet bears when in the locked position; the locating of the axis of the ratchet in such a position that as the teeth of the ratchet come into engagement with the teeth of the stock it will be impossible for the ends of the teeth in the ratchet to engage the ends of the teeth in the stock; and the providing of a lever for operating the ratchet which. is made integral therewith and which projects through an opening in the upper side of the cap, and the providing of means for holding the ratchet out of en gagement with the stock. 

